1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to machines for making shaved ice confectioneries. It is particularly concerned with providing a self-service type compact machine for use in stores, markets and the like.
2. Prior Art
Shaved ice particles have long been used in the manufacture of deserts and confectioneries. Commonly, such shavings are collected into a holder and a syrup of a desired flavor, or combination of flavors is poured over the ice to provide sweetening to a desired taste.
In the past, a great many devices have been proposed to provide the desired ice chips for ice shavings. Hand held and operated devices have been used for many years. Such devices generally comprise a holder for a knife blade that is drawn across a large block of ice or in some instances, larger, bulkier, devices have been used to crush the larger blocks of ice. More recently, machines have been proposed that will allow a large block of ice to be held in a fixed position while automatically operated cutter blades are pulled across a surface of that block of ice so as to produce ice shavings. The ice shavings are then collected and thereafter are scooped into a cone shaped container.
Blocks of ice are not always available, nor can they always be conveniently stored for a use like that of the present invention. As a result there is a need for a machine to make ice chips for shavings from smaller cubes such as are commonly produced not only by commercial type machines but even by common household refrigerators and freezer units.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,992,783, 2,565,226, 2,684,207 and 2,655,318, show machines that have been proposed for shaving cubes of ice. The disclosed machines provide for ice cubes to be placed in a hopper, feeding cubes of ice to blades that rotate beneath the pile of cubes of ice to shave ice as the blades rotate. The drive motors for the blades and all operating mechanisms of the machines, as well as the blades are beneath the ice and are therefore subject to serious damage from water as the ice melts, even though seals, intended to prevent such damage are provided.